


Incredibly Enchanted

by MerMagicAnaLily



Series: Andi Mack in Other Media [7]
Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Ambi - Freeform, Bexie - Freeform, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Gay Cyrus, Gay T. J., Gen, Harry Potter AU, Hogwarts AU, Homophobia, Internal homophobia, Lesbian Amber, M/M, Muffy - Freeform, Pan Andi, Trans Marty, Transphobia, Tyrus - Freeform, jibby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-09-26 00:10:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20380438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerMagicAnaLily/pseuds/MerMagicAnaLily
Summary: Cyrus Goodman was just trying to get a magical education and enjoy his time with his friends. But this one Slytherin kept hanging around him. Was he toxic? Or was there a good person on the inside just trying to come out? The answer depended on who you asked.





	1. Prologue (First Year)

Cyrus Goodman walked around the platform at King’s Cross Station, looking around quite confused. His ticket said Platform 9 ¾...but there was no such platform. 

“Maybe we can ask someone who works here?” His stepmother suggested. All four of his parents were there with him. 

“Honey,” Cyrus’s father said, holding his wife’s hand “Do you really think a rail worker will know about a magic school?”

“Well, how else are we supposed to find it?” His stepfather asked. “We can’t exactly drive Cyrus to Hogwarts in our Prius?”

“Hogwarts?” The family of five turned around to see a dark skinned girl with brilliantly curly black hair, a warm and welcoming smile, and her mother standing behind him. The girl looked to be around Cyrus’s age. “You’re a first year, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah...I am…” Cyrus looked down, blushing a little.

“Me too! I’m Buffy Driscoll, we can show you how to get to the platform.”

“Oh my god, really?” He smiled “That would be super helpful! And I’m Cyrus Goodman.” 

“A pleasure to meet you,” she said. “Come on, follow me!”

“He smiled and grabbed his trolley, doing his best to keep up with her.

His parents got to talking to her mother and they learned that only Cyrus could go on the platform since he was a wizard and they were Muggles, but she promised to send him off well. Soon, they all arrived at a blank brick wall between platforms 9 and 10, and Buffy smiled. “It’s right through there.”

“Through the wall?” Cyrus asked cautiously.

“Don’t be so skeptical, it is magic, after all. Come on, you think the way that we’d get to Hogwarts of all places would have a boring entrance?” She took a few steps back and then got a running start towards the wall, disappearing as she went through it. Cyrus watched amazed before turning towards his parents, who kept using him to follow her. “Don’t forget to write and call!” She yelled out to him after he hugged them and ran through the wall, following her. He closed his eyes right before he was going to collide with the bricks then kept going. He slowed down and cautiously opening his eyes, wondering if he had died by accident. 

When his eyes finally opened, he saw a scarlet red train standing proudly in front of him, and tons of adults and children of varying ages talking to each other. Buffy let her stuff off with a porter and waved to him right as her mother followed Cyrus through the wall behind him. 

“Alright children, off to start the school year,” she said smiling. “Buffy, darling, please help Cyrus around, please? Lots of things in the magical world are very different than that from the muggle world.”

“Don’t worry, mum,” she said with a confident smile. “Cyrus is already off to a good start.”

“I am?”

“Yup!” She put her arm around his shoulders. “Because you’ve already made a friend in me.”

* * *

Once they were settled in their compartment, another girl knocked on their open door. 

“Hey, I don’t really know anybody and I really didn’t want to sit with my parents…”

“You can sit with us,” Buffy smiled. 

“Wait...your parents are here?” Cyrus asked. 

“Yeah, they’re professors at Hogwarts. My mum teaches muggle studies and my dad is the music professor.”

“Oh that’s so cool!” Buffy said. “I’m Buffy Driscoll, by the way, and that’s Cyrus Goodman. We met on the platform.”

“I’m Andi Mack, Andi with an I,” she said. 

“I think you mean two eyes,” Cyrus lamely joked. “I know that was pretty bad…”

“No, no,” Andi laughed a little. “I love bad jokes. My dad failed his job at making dad jokes. All of his jokes are actually really good.”

“Well then, I will be your dad joke friend, Andi...that is if you still want to be my friend after you see how horribly incompetent I am at about just everything.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” she said. “So...any idea what house you’re gonna be in?”

“House?” Cyrus asked. “I thought we were living in this big old castle?”

“We are,” Andi said. 

“Cyrus is a Muggleborn with four muggle parents,” Buffy explained.

“Muggle...that’s the word for non-magic people, right?”

“Yup,” Andi answered. “The magical world likes dividing people like blood type, and not like A positive or O negative.”

“I’m a Pureblood,” Buffy said. “Meaning both of my parents are magical.”

“And I’m a Halfblood because my dad is a Pureblood and my mum is Muggleborn. Halfblood means that one of your parents is a muggle or Muggleborn witch or wizard.”

“Wait…” Cyrus tilted his head. “If your mom is still a witch, why aren’t you a pureblood?”

“The short answer?” Buffy said. “Because this blood division was created by essentially wizard racists. It’s an antiquated system based on some fictional supremacy. Only purists actually put value into blood type.”

“So why follow it in the first place?” Cyrus asked. 

“Same reason that in the muggle world, I would identify as black,” Buffy said. 

“And I would identify as half-white and half-Asian,” Andi said.

“At least me being Jewish personally revolves around what I actually believe and practice,” Cyrus said. “Though that’s not the case with every Jewish person since it can also be a kind of an ethnicity...humans are weird.”

“Both muggle and magical,” Andi agreed.

“So...what’s this about houses? Please don’t tell me that’s racist too,” Cyrus said.

“It’s not…at least not most of the time,” Buffy said. “It’s just a kind of family at school, like a giant team...and I can’t think of any other metaphors that aren’t bad or cheesy…”

“Basically,” Andi cut in. “A hat is going to sit on your head and read your personality, and it’ll send you to a house that aligns best with your morals and spirit. There’s Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.”

“Gryffindor,” Buffy said. “Is for the brave and bold, and the house I’m 80% sure I’m going to get into.”

“Ravenclaw is for the clever and curious,” Andi said. “People call it the smart house...but anyone can go into Ravenclaw and one of the brightest witches to ever come out of Hogwarts was a Gryffindor.”

“Hermione Granger?” Buffy said. “True inspiration she is.”

“Who?” Cyrus asked.

“We’ll catch you up on magical history once we get to school,” Andi promised. “Hufflepuff is for the loyal and true. People say the best kind of friends come from Hufflepuff. And Slytherin is for the ambitious and cunning.”

“There was a time that Slytherin was the house that if anyone went in, they came out a dark wizard,” Buffy said. 

“And that is definitely not true,” Andi said a little forcefully. “Especially since the head of Slytherin house is my dad, and he can’t even hurt a fly.”

“Yeah, but a lot of Slytherins are still blood purists,” Buffy argued. “Though I’m sure your dad is wonderful.”

“He married my Muggleborn mother. You honestly think he really cares?”

“True, true,” Buffy relented. “But Salazar Slytherin, the founder of the house and one of the Hogwarts founders, was the worst kind of blood purist. He thought all muggles and Muggleborns needed to be wiped off the face of the planet.”

“Yeah...my people already dealt with someone like that,” Cyrus said. “I think I’ll avoid Slytherin for now.”

* * *

Cyrus started getting off the train when he saw a blonde girl with a green necktie hug two boys before she went off with the upper years and the boys went to where a giant man was herding the first years towards the lake “Who are they?” 

“Those are the Kippens,” Andi said. “Powerful wizarding family who raised two mean kids and adopted a third out of nowhere. My mom taught the oldest last year and says that she’s very territorial.”

“Do these Kippens have first names?” Cyrus asked. 

“The girl is Amber, a second year Slytherin, and so far living up to the stereotype,” Andi said. “She’s like a snake, or a scorpion...according to my what my mom said the other girls called her.”

“The boys,” Buffy continued. “The tallest one is T.J., apparently some Quidditch extraordinaire who’s been in training camps since he had toy brooms.”

“Quidditch? I’m assuming that’s sports?” He asked cluelessly.

“I’ll explain after dinner,” Buffy promised. “And the shorter one is Marty. ALl anyone knows about him is that he was adopted into the Kippens about two years ago and that he also plays Quidditch...probably because of T.J.”

“How do you know they’re going to be mean?” Cyrus asked. “Because of their parents?”

“I went to a Quidditch summer camp this last year,” Buffy said. “T.J. refused to play with me, saying I belonged with the other girls at the lower levels. I was the only girl on an upper level team. The trainer had to tell him to shut up and treat me properly since I aced all of my tryouts.”

“He’s sexist.”

“He’s ridiculously sexist. Told me to conjure him sandwiches and refused to send the ball quaffle...the ball…” she simplified for Cyrus. “Over to me. It made shooting the goals a lot harder since only three people per team can move those balls. He’s toxic. Toxic T.J. Kippen.”

“And Marty?” Cyrus asked. 

“Don’t know, I’m not sure I’ve had an interaction longer than a sentence with him…” She frowned looking a little puzzled then shrugged. “Come on, let’s try to grab a boat.”

Of course, the only boat left was one with the Kippens. T.J. and Buffy scowled at each other when they saw each other but said nothing. Cyrus wasn’t sure, but it looked like, for a second, T.J.’s face had softened up and he looked Cyrus up and down...but that was probably his imagination. 

* * *

The boat ride into Hogwarts was incredible, as was looking up at the towering castle in front of them. He couldn’t believe a place like that existed, much less that he was going to go to school there. And when they got off the boat and climbed the staircases, he saw the portraits moving and freaked out a little, until Buffy explained it to him. T.J. looked back at Cyrus with a puzzled expression and if he was paying close attention, maybe a little worried? No, no way. Toxic T.J., remember?

Being led into the Great Hall and the speech some professor gave at the front went by like a blur and he only snapped out of it when Buffy’s name was called first. She smiled and gave Cyrus and Andi a hug before heading up to the stool, where the professor up front placed the hat on her head. It was there for about four seconds before it shouted out “GRYFFINDOR!” 

A table with students wearing red ties stood up and started cheering and Buffy smiled, going to the table. 

“What if we don’t get into Gryffindor? I’m not exactly brave,” Cyrus asked. 

“Your house doesn’t mean all your friends have to be from there,” Andi said. “It’s pretty much just where you’re going to live. What you do outside of that is your own choice.” A few other names were called before “Goodman, Cyrus,” came out of the professor’s mouth. 

Cyrus nervously made his way up and sat on the stool when he felt the hat get lowered on his head. 

_ What do we have here? You’re smart, you know what you want, and you’re a true friend.  _ He heard inside his head. Is this what happened with all students?  _ Yes, all who have sat on this stool have heard my voice in their heads. What happens here is just between us, all I’ll call out is your house. But first, we have to find your house. _

_ Hmmm...you could be great in Slytherin...there you can make wonderful friends, allies, those who can make you braver than a Gryffindor.  _ No way of that happening! The Slytherins would just make fun of him.  _ Bullies exist in all houses, my boy, but unfortunately, the loudest do come from Slytherin. An old house with old values...a Muggleborn rising to the top would make great changes.  _ Please no! He didn’t want that to happen, he didn’t want people looking at him strangely for being in a house where people thought he wouldn’t belong.  _ Well my boy, I can sense something else...I can sense your soulmate in this crowd of hopefuls in front of me. Both of you would fit perfectly in the same two houses for two vastly different reasons.  _ Send me to the other house ...wait soulmate?  _ Yes. Everyone has one, and as a hat who sits on people’s heads to look inside them, I can tell when there’s somebody out there that’s perfect. And yours is in your year.  _

_ I’ll tell you what...if I separate you two house-wise, you’ll both develop in your own houses attributes, which you can transfer the best of that to the other when you’re ready to confront each other in the way you’re meant to. You’ll grow separately into your own ways before you come together. It will be the perfect mix. Therefore, your soulmate will be placed in Slytherin, and you, my boy, you will be a…  _ “HUFFLEPUFF!” 

A table under a yellow banner stood up and cheered, gesturing for him to come over. He nervously smiled and made his way over as people around him started introducing themselves to him. He looked back at the center of the hall and saw Andi get placed into Ravenclaw, and one of the professors at the main table stand up and cheer and the other one lovingly smile at her, but reluctantly hand over a small handful of silver coins. 

He also paid attention to the Kippens. T.J. was on the stool for a long time, almost as long as Cyrus, and he saw his eyes snap over to the sea of yellow around him, scanning it before the hat declared T.J. a Slytherin. When Marty was called up, people murmured when he was announced as “Sousa-Kippen, Martin,” and saw Marty look pleasantly surprised at the name called out. Wouldn’t Marty know his own name?

Everyone expected him to be placed in Slytherin, but the hat barely touched his head before it shouted out “GRYFFINDOR!” Both the green and red tables were confused, but at Amber and T.J.’s glare, the Slytherin table politely clapped while the Gryffindors cheered him over. From Cyrus’s perspective, it looked like he and Buffy immediately started bantering with each other. 

* * *

After dinner, all the prefects led their first years on a tour of the school before heading up to the dormitories. Buffy and the other Gryffindor first years made their way up the moving staircases and given the password to the Fat Lady to open the door. 

“Alright,” their prefect said. “This is the common room, the prefect and head boy and girl’s rooms are here on this bottom part here. And up the left staircase is the boy’s dormitories, and up the right staircase is the girl’s dormitories. The opposite gender cannot go up the staircases and it will be enchanted to turn into a slide if that should happen.” Buffy saw Marty look a little nervous but she frowned. Why would he be nervous? Maybe he was afraid of the other boys since he was a Kippen? “Breakfast will be served tomorrow from six until 9:30 in the morning, and lessons will start the following Monday. Your things should be waiting at your assigned beds. Goodnight.” The prefects went to the prefect rooms that they had pointed out before hand and all the Gryffindors went up their proper staircases. 

Buffy was waiting for the crowds to thin out before going but saw Marty standing there looking up the two staircases. “You go up the left one, Kippen,” she said. “Or did you forget that already.”

“Sousa-Kippen,” he corrected her. “I may be adopted, but I like sticking to my Brazilian roots.”

“Good for you,” she said. “Now shouldn’t you go to bed?”

“I could say the same about you.” 

He inhaled a little and headed over to the left staircase, going up a few steps slowly and letting out a little breath while he looked down, a hint of a smile on his face. “I’m on my way up...unless you’re hoping to turn this into a slide for me?” He teased. 

“Goodnight Sousa-Kippen,” Buffy rolled her eyes and went up the right staircase, going straight to bed. 


	2. Fifth Year

“Look Buffy,” Cyrus said on the train from the other side of the compartment door. Both girls were getting dressed and as a courtesy he was waiting outside, still in his street clothes, waiting for the girls to be in their uniforms already. “I’m not saying you don’t have the capacity to be both seeker and chaser of the Gryffindor team...I’m simply saying that from my very limited knowledge of quidditch, it’s not permitted.” Andi opened the door for him to come back in when they were dressed and the girls went outside while he quickly started changing.

“Well, I’m not saying that they should rewrite the rules of Quidditch for me...even though it would totally make sense,” she said, leaning against the door. “I’m just saying that, as captain, I should be allowed to decide whether I play as a chaser or a seeker depending on the game. Because Natalie is great and all, but she’s not a strong seeker compared to, like, Jonah Beck.”

“My ears are burning,” Jonah said laughing as he walked by. “Hey Driscoll, hey Andiman...Hey person I’m guessing is Cyrus behind the door!”

“Hey Jonah,” Cyrus opened the door and let them all in, giving a bro-hug to Jonah to say hi to him. 

“So...you’d want to play seeker against me?” Jonah asked Buffy, adjusting his yellow tie. 

“Come on Jonah, you fly circles around Natalie, and every time we lose to Hufflepuff, I have to hear Marty Kippen…”

“Sousa-Kippen,” the three corrected her. Marty was pretty insistent on having the Sousa part in his name for some reason. 

“Marty Sousa-Kippen,” she corrected. “Talk about how he should have been seeker, but he’s my other best chaser. Leslie is a little weak sometimes and everyone says they need me as a chaser because I’m good at game strategies while mid-air.” 

“Being seeker wouldn’t help you there,” he said. “Besides, I love my team and all, but we’re not as strong as the Gryffindor or Slytherin teams. My seeking ability is all we have going for us.”

“Yeah, but the snitch is worth one hundred point!”

“Then you better score one hundred and one goals,” he teased her. 

“The Hollyhead Harpies can barely score one hundred goals!” Buffy groaned. “And they’re one of the best teams in the world.

“I mean...they’re no Chuddley Cannons…” Jonah said with an eye raise. 

“Exactly, because they’re better.”

“Ugh, jocks,” Andi groaned and Cyrus laughed, agreeing with her. 

* * *

They started heading to the horseless carriages when the Kippens came over. Buffy rolled her eyes and looked annoyed while Jonah and Amber greeted each other politely like friends and T.J. and Cyrus happily hugged each other quickly catching each other up over what happened during break. 

“I still cannot believe that those two are friends,” Buffy quietly said. “After everything he put me through and the way he acted towards me.”

“Even you admitted he’s getting better,” Andi quietly responded. “Maybe it’s time to let bygones be bygones?”

“He has yet to apologize, even,” she climbed into the carriage. 

“Maybe he will,” Andi said. “Just...give him a chance?”

“The only reason I’m not throwing him into the lake is because of Cyrus,” she grumbled as they made their way to the entrance of the school. 

“And the threat of expulsion?”

“Please,” She smirked. “My head of house would probably high five me.”

“Not all of us can have cool heads of houses,” Andi said. “Some of us have our own parents.”

“Shut up, your mom is cool,” she said laughing. 

Meanwhile T.J. and Cyrus were talking about their summers and T.J. was fully engrossed in hearing about Cyrus’s muggle activities over the summer. “Okay, you’ve got to tell me more about ‘Disney World’,” he said. “So basically, a thousand years ago-“

“A few decades, maybe not even a full century yet,” Cyrus corrected. 

“Right. So what probably feels like a thousand years ago,” he adjusted making Cyrus giggle a little. “This guy draws a cartoon mouse, it turns into this big huge phenomenon, to the point he starts a movie company, and that gets so popular, he makes several parks where people go to wear the mouse ears and play on rides based on the movies?”

“Pretty much,” he said. “Though that’s a weird way to put it...I’ll take you over the holidays if I can wrestle you out of your mother’s grasp long enough.”

“I’ll learn to apparate sooner if it means I can check out this place. This is essentially muggle magic? Minus the cheap tricks?”

“It’s more...muggle science that works so insanely well, if you don’t think about it too hard, it could pass for magic.”

“Niceburg,” he said, leaning forward and resting his arms on his thighs as he listened to Cyrus go on about the specific rides, and then they discussed whether what Cyrus described as a “roller coaster” would be worth the fear.

* * *

One of the things that almost everyone in the group hated about the welcome back banquet was the fact they had to sit with their houses. The original trio, which Cyrus dubbed the “Good Hair Crew” were each in a different house, and T.J.’s new best friend was Cyrus, who sat two giant tables away from him. But it turns out Andi was pretty adept at spells and, with her mother, the two were able to start the integration of technology into Hogwarts to make it compatible with magic, and Cyrus and Jonah teamed up to buy the Kippens some pretty basic phones which they magic-hacked and started texting each other. 

They kept the phones under the table and smiled as they texted each other, with Cyrus and T.J. constantly making eye contact as they sent the messages. Marty sighed and rolled his eyes, sitting across from Buffy. 

“They should just make it official already.”

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked. 

“Well...Cyrus is out to his friends, right?” She nodded. “And T.J...I mean...he hasn’t said anything to any of us but…”

“Even though I hate his guts,” she groaned. “It’s getting painfully obvious.”

Andi sent a message through to both of them. -I’m getting caught in the crossfires of their heart eyes. Can’t we just lock them in a room already?-

Both Buffy and Marty laughed a little. -You think this is bad now?- he texted to them both. -You should have seen him over the summer holidays. Cyrus this, Cyrus that, Amber and I were just about ready to fly him over to Cyrus and drop him from 200 meters up.-

Both Andi and Buffy giggled slightly. -Of course- Buffy texted. -Nobody says anything until they’re ready.-

-Of course-

-Absolutely-

-....doesn’t mean I don’t want them to get the hell over themselves already and just do it already!-

-their “banter” (read: flirting) is driving me nuts!- Marty sent them. 

-better their banter than Kira- Buffy said. 

-what about Kira?- Andi asked. 

-everything about Kira. She calls me a blood traitor. I swear if she’s announced 5th year prefect, I’m launching myself to the moon.-

-I think I’d join you.- Andi said.

-Room for one more?- 

They all chuckled again at Marty’s last message. 

Meanwhile Cyrus was sending T.J. pictures from his holiday and T.J. couldn’t stop smiling at his phone. “So….” Amber said from next to him. “You seem to enjoy talking to Cyrus…”

“Of course, he’s my best friend,” he said. 

“Sure…”

“Amber, what are you implying?”

“Oh...nothing…”

“Amber? What are you implying?”

She sighed. “Are you sure that you don’t like him?”

“Of course I like him. He’s my best friend.”

“No Jag. Are you sure you don’t, you know,  _ like him  _ like him?”

“Wait...you think I’m…?”

“I’m not trying to assume anything,” she said. “And obviously I’m not going to judge…” she said gesturing to himself. She had come out to her friends and family as a lesbian after she tried going out with Jonah in her fourth year and they didn’t work out well in the slightest. 

“Yeah but...I mean…” he sighed. “I don’t know…”

“Hey, you don’t have to know anything, or say anything,” Amber said. “Just...you talk about Cyrus more than I talk about Andi.”

“Oh god...tell me I don’t,” T.J. said scared. “That much?”

“Don’t worry, it’s great,” she smiled. “And even if there is nothing there romantically, it’s great to see you care about someone so much, and talk about them, and you should definitely keep doing that,” she said. “And if anyone gets in your way, Andi just taught me the Medusa Hair Hex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for reading this. If you just came after my three finished stories “Hand Drawn Sleeves”, “The Houseguest”, and “What the Hell Happened to Shadyside”, Thank you for coming over here immediately after. I just got tagged in a praise rant on tumblr and it was just about the happiest damn day of my life and I could definitely coast on that for an entire week. It was also my first day of law school today and instead of briefing cases...I formed the quidditch teams....not sure I should have done that.
> 
> Anyways, there will be a very very slight crossover with No Good Nick here (Thompson Kids + Nick will be recurring characters) and characters from other shows will make cameo appearances (mostly because I ran out of names lmao), and this is the exact same universe as Harry Potter, just set many decades later.
> 
> Please comment if you read this because that’s how I keep metrics, and I’ll let you guys vote on something here so that you have something to comment. I don’t care if you’re a guest or have an account, I wanna see comments!!!
> 
> The first survey question will be What is the other series I should start writing first (because I will write both, I promise): The Croods AU or a Sky High AU?  
There will also be flashbacks on here so if you’re confused, they’ll get explained, I promise, and


	3. Prefects and Captains

Cyrus was up for breakfast ridiculously early the next morning. He was adding sugar to his tea and buttering a warm bagel she he felt someone sit next to him. 

“Good morning, Cyrus.” 

He looked over and saw his friend and fellow Hufflepuff, Iris, smiling at him. She didn’t have her robe on, just her skirt, vest and tie. “Hey Iris!”

“You’re up early this morning.”

“Yeah, I never sleep well on my first night here. I fell asleep at three and woke up at six,” he said. “So I’m awake. What about you?”

“I just like how quiet it is here before everyone arrives,” she said. “They’re going to announce the new fifth year prefects and seventh year heads this morning...nervous?”

“Don’t tell me you think I’m going to get it,” he said with a laugh. “Besides, don’t they tell the prefects over the summer?”

“They used to,” she said. “But after several owls encountered a series of mishaps, they decided it was safer to do it on the first morning.”

“Ugh, now some people have to deal with being called up for a pin then, huh?”

“Might be you Cyrus.”

“As if. I’m not the top of our class or anything.” 

“You need to stop doubting yourself. Besides, a lot of people are seeing how you’re carrying yourself these days.”

“Because I’m no longer closeted?” He said. “Sorry again about that.”

“About what?”

“You know…dating you and leading you on?”

She sighed. “Cyrus, not everyone knows they’re gay from birth. If dating me helped you embrace your true self, that’s what matters.”

“You are much cooler about that than just about anybody else would be.”

“Maybe everybody else needs to cool the fuck down,” she said sticking her tongue out. Cyrus laughed and sat down while people started trickling into the hall, and when T.J. and Amber came in, he smiled and sat down next to T.J. and across from Amber greeting them. Some Slytherins rolled their eyes but quickly looked away when Amber glared at them. Unfortunately, not all of them. 

“Hey T.J.,” she smiled and sat on T.J.’s other side. “Cyrus.” She said coldly. 

“Kira. What a wonderful surprise,” he said with a forced smile, actually trying to be friendly. “I hope you have a lovely holiday.”

“I did.” She said coldly. 

“Cyrus seems to have had the best one,” T.J. said. “Did you know muggles use science to make magical illusions in a theme park?”

“Why accept the illusions when you can have magic itself,” she said. “It’s far superior.”

“It’s about admiring the talent and ingenuity of those who can’t wave a wand,” he said. “Plus, it’s fun. At least, it is according to Cyrus. I can’t wait for you to take me!”

“I’ll see what I can do, Teej,” he smiled. 

“Shouldn’t you go back with your badger pack?” Kira cut in. “Prefect ceremony is about to start.”

“As if you’d be one,” Amber said. And when Kira turned to give her a glare, Amber was nonchalantly polishing her own prefect badge, since she was a 6th year prefect and in line for head girl next year. Kira scowled and looked back at T.J.

“Well, when I do become a prefect, I think I’ll enforce the “sitting with your own houses” policy during meals,” she said. 

“It’s not a rule, most people are still afraid of Slytherins...given their history…” Cyrus said. “I’ll see you around Teej?”

“Yeah,” he looked a little deflated. “We’ll meet where we do.”

“Where we do.”

He went back to his seat and soon Headmaster Metcalf approached the podium. “Another year, another class that has left us to go forward in their lives, and a new class that has come in. To the first years, I hope you’re getting comfortable in your new houses and find them as accommodating as previous students have found them.” At the Gryffindor table, Marty smiled a little to himself, and when Buffy caught him, playfully winked at her flirtatiously. “And for our upper years, I know you’re just dying to know about our Quidditch captains and the new 7th year head boys and girls, and our 5th year prefects. So far the 6th year prefects have been running the show, and I know it’s making all of you seventh year quake in your shoes.” Everyone laughed a little at that. 

“Alright, we’ll start with our Quidditch captains, selected by the team the previous year,” he said. “Leading Ravenclaw will be Jeremy Thompson!” He stood up and everyone clapped politely. He stayed standing as Headmaster Metcalf continued down the list. “Leading Hufflepuff, Jonah Beck!” People cheered a little for him and he smiled and waved as he stood. “Leading Slytherin, T.J. Kippen!” The cheers were louder as T.J. stood up and posed jokingly, and even Buffy clapped while rolling her eyes. “And Leading the defending champions three years in a row, Buffy Driscoll!” The cheers were loudest for her and she jokingly egged on the crowd. She swore she even saw T.J. cheer a little for her. Alright then. “To anyone looking to join the Quidditch teams this year, please go seek out these individuals. Now…” he gestured and everyone sat down. 

“We’ll start with our Head Boys and Girls!” Cheers again. “If I call your name, please come up to the front to be pinned by Deputy Headmaster Longbottom and stay there until I dismiss you. Starting again with Ravenclaw, your head boy is...Justin Russo!” People cheered as he smiled and got up, proudly getting pinned and adjusting his robes as he stood in front of the professor’s table. “And your Head Girl, Ren Stevens!” More cheers as she followed Justin up. 

“Next for Hufflepuff! Your Head Boy is...Mat Tan!” He watched the boy get up. “And Head Girl, Emma Kurtzman! For Slytherin, Your head boy is Declan Rivers, and your Head Girl, Lisa Haddad!” When she got up, She and Jeremy exchanged a look like she was saying she won and he was telling her to simply wait until next year. “And for Gryffindor! Your Head Boy, Charles Delancy! And your Head Girl, Natalie Debutant!”

They all stood up there while people cheered. When the applause started dying down, the headmaster dismissed them and they all went to retake their seats. “Now...the moment I know most of you have been waiting for! Your new 5th Year prefects!” Everyone started cheering again. “One last time, we’ll start with Ravenclaw!” He said. “Your prefects will be...Walker Brodsky and Andi Mack!” The two looked at each other shocked while Buffy, Marty, Cyrus, Jonah, Amber, and T.J. stood up to cheer for her. Even Bex and Bowie...that is...both Professor Macks, Stood up and cheered, which made Andi blush as Deputy Headmaster Longbottom pinned them. They all sat down again as Headmaster Metcalf continued “Next up for Hufflepuff! Your new prefects are...Iris Mason and Cyrus Goodman!”

Cyrus looked absolutely floored and even stayed sitting while Jonah gave him a standing ovation. “Go on Cy-Guy! I knew it would be you!” 

“I thought it would be you!”

“You call me a part of the dumbass trio,” he said laughing. “You really trust me with authority?!”

“Good point!” The two hugged for a second and then he followed Iris to get pinned, trying not to jump too much in Professor Longbottom’s face. When he stood in front of the table, Professors Macks leaned forward saying they were proud of him and Andi hugged him. 

“For Slytherin, your new prefects are…” Kira started standing up smugly. “T.J. Kippen and Becky Grimswauld!” Cyrus and Andi bit back laughs when they saw Kira’s shocked and horrified face, and Amber was openly laughing as she saw Becky hug her friends Molly and Nick before she and T.J. made it up to the stage. 

“I knew you’d make prefect,” T.J. said to Cyrus. 

“I knew you would,” he replied. “I didn’t think I would.”

“You should stop doubting yourself Underdog,” They smiled at each other and T.J. clapped his hand on Cyrus’s shoulder and gave him a little shake. 

“And finally, Gryffindor! Martin Rodrigo Sousa-Kippen and Buffy Driscoll!” And two groups went absolutely wild. Amber from her seat and T.J. up on the stage threw their arms up as they hollered and started cheering their last name while Jonah from the Hufflepuff table, and Andi and Cyrus from the stage started clapping and cheering “Go Buffy! Go Buffy!” Even Buffy and Marty had to throw their friendly rivalry aside and danced together to the stage, only stopped when they reached the Deputy Headmaster so they wouldn’t get stabbed with the pin. Headmaster Metcalf bit back a chuckle seeing Cyrus and Andi hug and jump with Buffy and T.J. hug Marty tightly. 

He let it go on for a while before clearing his throat. “And there you have it, your new prefects. They will have additional advantages as well as responsibilities, and they will be charged with maintaining the peace at Hogwarts and given the ability to award and deduct house points, which I trust them to use wisely without abusing their power, should they risk losing many more House points than they could even imagine, not to mention risk of serious disciplinary punishment.” They all nodded and started heading back to their seats. 

“You know, it’s going to be a dangerous year,” Marty told Buffy. 

“And why is that?”

“Couple of things,” he said. “First, hell hath no fury like a Kira scorned.”

Buffy groaned. “She’s gonna find a way to blame us for not being a prefect, I can feel it,” she said. “And the other?”

“Every member of the Good Hair Crew, Dumbass Trio, and Every current Kippen has some power, even if one of them is just as a quidditch captain and can’t give or take away points,” he said. “Still power.”

“Oh my god,” Buffy said with a laugh. “We’re all gonna die, aren’t we?”

“Say goodbye to Hogwarts now. It’ll never be the same again.”

* * *

”Hey, Underdog!” T.J. ran up to Cyrus after everyone was dismissed to start heading to their first classes of the day. “What period is your free period?” 

“Uh...fourth?”

”Same here,” he said. “Meet me in our spot?”

”And Kira?” He asked cautiously. 

“After she didn’t get prefect? I’m avoiding her. Which is how I know her free period is seventh. We should be safe,” he said with a laugh. 

“And if I don’t meet you?”

”I might have to deduct points from Hufflepuff...” he teased. “And award sympathy points to Slytherin.”

”Do that,” he said. “And I’ll triple Gryffindor’s points,” he said.   


“Gryffindor?”

”Oh yeah, because if Gryffindor wins, you’re gonna hear gloating from both Buffy **and **Marty.”  


”A fate worse than death. You got me there, Goodman. Fourth period?”

Cyrus smiled. “Fourth period.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading! Please comment and tell me which AU you want to see next in the comments! So far it’s 1 to 1, Sky High or The Croods!!!


	4. The Astronomy Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve decided to start making house points. Comment what you normally would and your house. Each comment wins 10 points for the house, and I’ll post them at the start of every chapter so you can see which house wins.

Cyrus made his way up to the astronomy tower and smiled a little when he saw T.J. already sitting there, reading a book. “Hey,” he said, sitting next to him. “Hope I didn’t make you wait long…”

“No, I only got here a few minutes ago,” he said, smiling and putting the book away after marking the page. “My last class was astronomy so it was just a short distance for me to climb up here.” Cyrus nodded and looked out. “Do you remember,” T.J. started. “Remember the first time we came up here?”

Cyrus nodded, smiling at the memory. “Third year. We were so little back then.”

* * *

_ Of course Cyrus ran away. All he really had to do was just capture some photographs with Jonah Beck. It shouldn't have been hard. It wouldn't have been hard for anyone else. Now he was just hiding from the world at the top of the Astronomy tower, staring up at the colour changing sky, humming a little song. _

_ "Nice song." Cyrus quickly turned around and saw T.J. Kippen standing there, leaning against the wall. "I've never heard it." _

_ "Probably because it's from a Muggle film..." he said. _

_ "May I ask which film?" _

_ "It's called Frozen. The song is so overplayed by children that some parents now hate the whole movie." _

_ He nodded. "Chocolate-Hazelnut Creme pudding, right?" He remembered the boy who stood outside the door to the kitchens, too nervous to ask for more dessert after having a bad day of some sort. He didn’t want to offend the house-elves, which is something T.J. had never thought about, but he really wanted the pudding. T.J. took him in the kitchen by the arm and told him to just tell the house-elves what he wanted. The Hufflepuff was shaking in his shoes, but did it anyways, and walked out with the pudding and extra whipped cream. _

_ Cyrus nodded. "Scary-Slytherin-Quidditch-Guy." This was the guy that Buffy hated more than anyone, who taunted her relentlessly during their matches and never went out of his way to be even pleasant with anyone...until that day outside the kitchen. _

_ He sighed. "Actually, T.J." _

_ Cyrus nodded. "I know. Cyrus." _

_ "So, Cyrus, do you come up here often?”" _

_ "Only when I feel bad about myself, so fairly often." _

_ "Does it help? Being here?" _

_ Cyrus gestured next to him. "Helps me. It reminds me that it doesn't matter if I'm a wizard or a muggle, the sky and stars are the same." _

_ T.J. looked out the balcony and then sat down next to Cyrus, both of them dangling their feet over the edge. _

_ "This is surprisingly relaxing," he said. _

_ "There's also a small thrill element," Cyrus said. "Being able to look down and imagine you're flying." _

_ "You're a wizard, Cyrus, "T. J. said, "Why not actually fly?" _

_ "Because I'm too scared to," he said. "Part of my many issues." _

_ T.J. took out his wand and waved it, muttering a spell before he started hovering outside of the balcony. _

_ "What is that?" Cyrus asked impressed. _

_ "A weightlessness spell," he told him. "My sister taught it to me. Come on!" _

_ "No thanks," Cyrus said. "This is as far as I go." _

_ T.J. looked at him and then waved his wand and muttered the spell again. This time Cyrus started floating up and out, screaming as he did. T.J. grabbed him by the arm and steadied him. "Don't worry," he told him. "We're tethered to the floor of the tower. If the spell starts failing, we'd go back completely over there." _

_ Cyrus looked down and over before nodding. T.J. flashed him a mischievous grin before he pushed Cyrus again, making him spin slightly out, Cyrus screaming the entire time.. He swam underneath Cyrus, Shouting "Underdog!" _

_ "That was exhilarating!" _

_ "Want to do it again?" _

_ "No!" _

_ "Hmm... too bad!" He spun Cyrus out again and _

_ After a while, they both gently floated back to the floor of the tower and TJ. let up the spell. _

_ "I never thought I would do something like that. I'm too scared for things like that." _

_ "There's nothing wrong with being scared in it of itself, "T.J. said. "You just can't let it stop you from enjoying yourself." _

_ "The problem is that I do let it stop me. All the time." _

_ "So if you want to fix it, why not ask for help?" _

_ "Who could I even ask?" Cyrus sighed. _

_ "From now on," he said. "Me. You're a really cool guy, and you helped me out here." _

_ Cyrus smiled. ' 'Thanks. You know, the way you act towards Buffy, I wouldn't have expected this." _

_ "Maybe I still need to work through some of my stuff."  _

_ Cyrus smiled. "Always nice to see people realize when they need to better themselves. And you can ask me for help. My parents do that for people in the muggle world" They smiled at each other and sat on the edge again. "Can I ask you something?" _

_ "Depends..." _

_ "It's about Marty." _

_ T.J. closed off cautiously. "That really depends." _

_ "Why is he listed as Sousa-Kippen instead of as just Kippen? Like you and Amber?" _

_ T.J. relaxed a little. "You know he's adopted, right?" Cyrus nodded. "Our mom works in the international outreach branch at the Ministry. She took me and Amber with her to Brazil several years back when she was assessing their magic school for international accreditation. We were all just walking around when we met this kid performing street magic, but he was too good. _

_ "You see... Some parts of Brazil... Let's just say it isn't always a good place for people who are different. He came out of a one night stand between a wizard and a muggle woman. His mother wasn't a good mother and she just couldn't handle him. She was a shitty person and after a few years, kicked him out. He lived on the street doing wandless magic until we met him. We fed him, learned his story, and eventually adopted him. He kept Sousa in his name to remind him where he came from as well as keeping him connected to his Brazilian roots. He's proud of being Brazilian, but loves being a Kippen more." _

_ Cyrus smiled. "I'm glad he found you guys then." _

_ "Yeah...we are too." _

* * *

Cyrus leaned back on his hands, looking out. “Missed me so much you wanted to see me up here and reminisce?” 

T.J. smiled and looked at him, propping one leg up and hanging the other one over the edge, leaning his arm on the propped knee. “It’s a good memory for me. It’s the day I really got to know my best friend.” Cyrus looked over and blushed. He would give up his entire savings vault at Gringotts to know what went on in T.J.’s head. 

“You’re a pretty awesome friend too, Teej,” he said. 

“Your friends don’t think so,” he said. 

“Only Buffy...but she’s warming up to you because she knows I wouldn’t really be friends with you if you were really a total jerk.”

He sighed. “I do want to make it up to her. What if I gave Gryffindor one hundred points? I can do that.”

“You’d lose your badge and get expelled,” Cyrus reminded him. “It would be an abuse of power...even if you were helping another house. Plus...Buffy hates being a charity case.”

“So what could I even do?” He groaned. 

“I think you need to come up with the best apology ever,” Cyrus said. “No pressure.”

“You’re funny,” he said, punching his arm lightly. “I think she also hates me after the Reed incident…”

“You mean when he tried to start a dueling ring in school and you didn’t immediately disavow it?”

“He was a family friend for a long time! I needed some time before I turned him in to Headmaster Metcalf.” 

“I know that,” Cyrus said. “And I get it,” he said. “Just be honest. I know you struggle with opening up sometimes, but you need to trust more people.”

“Yeah…” T.J. said. “Opening up...not something I’m exactly used to doing to anyone other than Amber and Marty.”

“You have great siblings,” Cyrus said, touching his shoulder. “But you could have a great friend group as well, as long as they trust you.”

“I already got the great start to a great friend group with you, at least,” he said. “But...I don’t know if your head of house told you anything...but the quidditch teams get a very special guest speaking duo…I could take you as my plus one.”

“Who?!”

“A member of the Hollyhead Harpies…”

“Professional quidditch?! That’s awesome!” Cyrus said. 

“And her husband,” he said. “A certain auror who lived through a killing curse…”

“No. Way.” Cyrus was freaking out a little. “Harry and Ginny Potter are coming to HOGWARTS?!”

* * *

“I can’t believe who we’re about to meet!” Marty was jumping up and down, fully clad in his Quidditch gear and almost ramming his broom into everything in sight. Buffy had to physically grab the handle to prevent it from hitting anyone or anything else. All the Quidditch teams were there, all dressed up. 

“Hey,” Jonah jogged over to them, his yellow uniform almost blinding them at the Quidditch pitch. “You guys ready to meet the one and only Harry Potter?” 

“AM I?!” Marty started jumping up and down again and Buffy had to hold him now. 

“Wow,” Jonah chuckled. “You’re even more excitable than my newest chaser.” He pointed his finger at the second year Mabel Pines who was pointing her broom around like a muggle rifle. “Maybe I should stop her?”

Buffy and Marty nodded as he went over to talk to the young girl and see if she calmed down. “Well…” Buffy said. “At least everyone on my team is under control, except for you Sousa-Kippen.”

“Well Driscoll, apologies for not being super calm and collected when MY ACTUAL HERO is here.”

“My actual hero is Ginny, and she’s with him,” she said. “Quidditch star, amazing writer, badass of the Second Wizarding War, what else can I say about her? She isn’t lucky to have married Harry, Harry is lucky to have married her.”

“You’re the first one to get that absolutely right,” a female voice said from behind them, and Buffy had to catch Marty from almost fainting when they turned to see Harry and Ginny Potter standing behind them. He was wearing his old Gryffindor uniform for a little laugh, while she wore her Hollyhead Harpies uniform. 

“Exactly,” Harry said. “She organized half of the rebellion from the Room of Requirement and is now an accomplished player, writer...everything. I just accidentally didn’t die as a baby.”

The Gryffindor team was the ones who noticed them first, all of them whispering amongst each other freaking out before the two made their way to the front to address everyone. T.J. and Cyrus were the last to join, Cyrus having removed his robe to wear just his jumper and tie while T.J. had his Slytherin uniform and holding his broom in hand. 

“Welcome everyone to the new year,” Ginny said to everyone. “If you don’t know who we are...I’m sure eventually you’ll eat a chocolate frog with our faces on them...or if you stay in Professor Longbottom or Hagrid’s class long enough, you’ll hear about us.”

“Or if you wait five minutes, someone will bring up me, Harry Potter, the boy who lived, or as I like to call myself, just one lucky bastard,” he chuckled. “We’ve decided to give you all a special treat. For one day each month, we’ll take you out into the “real world,” right were magic meets the muggle world, and do a new activity. The board of directors allowed us to try it out on a small group first, and the best way to decide what was fair was to select the Quidditch teams.”

Everyone was murmuring happily, going around. Kira smiled in T.J.’s direction until he saw him and Cryus leaning in close to talk quietly to each other and share laughs. She pursed her lips and looked at Reed, pulling him in and whispering something in his ears. He looked over at Cyrus and T.J. as well and shared a look with Kira. Buffy felt something in the pit of her stomach but didn’t interrupt. 

“Every month will be a different activity, sometimes in the wizarding world, sometimes in the muggle world,” Ginny said. “And if it goes well here, we’ll start expanding...and we can also turn a blind eye at one of two non-quidditch players…” Cyrus blushed a little. “Just add your name to the list once we’re done here today. And each person can bring one non-quidditch friend as a plus one.”

“For today, we’re just going to go over the list of people already registered, as well as answer any questions you may have,” Harry said. “So...you sir,” he looked at Cyrus. “Can you just tell me your name so I can add you to the list?”

“Yes! Yes sir Potters! Weasley?! Potter-Weasleys?!” 

“I like Potter-Weasley,” Ginny said. 

“Me too,” Harry smiled warmly. “We should change it to that.”

“Another time love,” she said, gesturing back to the Hufflepuff student.

“Right, I’m Cyrus Goodman ...fifth year Hufflepuff...oh! And a prefect!” He said pointing to his badge. 

“Very good Mr. Goodman…” Ginny trailed off. “You’re the one Professor Longbottom goes on about, talented with herbology, gifted in charms?”

Cyrus blushed and T.J. clapped his shoulder. “That’s him.”

Kira glared and nudged Reed, and even Buffy had to smile at how positive their interaction was. 

“Alright, let’s run through the list really quickly?” Ginny said. “We’ll start with with Hufflepuff. Of course we have Mr. Goodman. Captain Jonah Beck?” Jonah raised his hand. “August Kremper, fifth year?” She was quickly corrected to say Gus. “Of course Mr. Kremper. We’ll call you Gus. Lucas Friar, fourth year? Zack Martin, sixth year? Mabel Pines, second year? Youngest one here…”

“I’ve seen younger,” Harry said nonchalantly, and earned an elbow nudge from Ginny and he laughed it off before she continued with her list.

“Jesus Adams-Foster, seventh year?” They corrected her pronunciation from sounding like the Christian Biblical figure to the more Latino pronunciation. “Maya Hart, fourth year?” They all nodded, showing they were present. “Perfect. Ravenclaw Captain Jeremy Thompson, fifth year? Brandon Foster, seventh year?”

“This is taking forever, I swear,” Marty said, jumping a little next to Buffy, and she put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Breathe, every professor does roll call.”

Ginny continued down the parchment, reading names. “Justin Russo, seventh year? Cody Martin, sixth year? Wow, twins on opposing teams, that must make interesting matches.” Everyone laughed, thinking about how the brothers bickered on the field, one time falling off their brooms and to the ground. Thankfully neither were hurt and continued rolling around fighting. “Maddie Rooney, fourth year? Bailey Pickett, sixth year? And Ren Stevens, seventh year? Perfect! Everyone in Ravenclaw is here.”

“Can you believe this is happening?” Cyrus asked excitedly as Harry took over and started reading down Slytherin. T.J. raised his hand when he was called, of course being called only T.J. and not his real, mysterious name. 

“We’re lucky, leaving grounds more than just our weekends at Hogsmeade, and doing things that can actually help in the real world other than waving wands around?” T.J. replied. “It’s incredible. I’ve always wanted to know more about the muggle world.”

“That’s why you hand out with me,” Cyrus teased.

“Molly Thompson, fourth year?” Harry continued. “Nicole Franzelli, fourth year? Kira Gryffon, fifth year? Brayden Johnston, sixth year? Lester Jordans, fifth year? And Reed Stronghold, fifth year? Well that rounds up the Slytherins.”

“Now onto the best team,” Harry joked with the Gryffindors cheering and the others jokingly booing. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. They were the best when me and Ginny played for them, but who knows with this new team? I’m sure all of you give tough competition for each other. Alright, Captain Buffy Driscoll, fifth year?” The Gryffindors, and Cyrus, cheered for her. “Beloved by all, I see. Marianne Rodrigues, sixth year? Leslie Solomon-Finch, third year?”

Marty was actually starting to float a little by holding onto his broom and Buffy had to pull him down. “Keep some cool, please!” Buffy whisper-yelled.

“Kaitlyn Golob, fifth year?” 

“Sorry,” Marty said. “Maybe it’s a stupid dream, but I always fantasized about Harry FREAKING Potter saying my name, knowing who I am!”

“Natalie Dwyer, seventh year?”

“Why do you like him so much? This is more than just hero worship,” Buffy said. 

“It’s about him. How he grew up,” he said. “He had a rough start like me...been cast out...rejected by his birth family, found a new one…” he looked at the Potters in awe. “It’s what didn’t make me lose hope growing up.”

“Leonardo Dresden, fifth year?”

“Well, putting it that way, it’s really sweet,” Buffy said. They saw everyone in Gryffindor had already raised their hand and Marty even held his breath, he was going to hear his name come from his hero.

Nobody saw Kira wave her wand and the tip glow slightly, and Harry didn’t even notice the slight change happen in front of his eyes. 

**“Maria Renata Sousa-Kippen, fifth year.”**

The silence was immediate. Cyrus, Jonah, and Buffy looked confused, and T.J. looked around and when his eyes landed on Kira and Reed, and his shift looked like he was absolutely ready to murder them fully. Cyrus looked at his other two friends with a puzzled expression, but that expression changed when he looked over at Marty, and his face shifted to immediate understanding, making Jonah and Buffy look over at him too. 

Marty looked like he was punched and kicked in the cut, like all the air was let out of him, and tears were stinging his eyes. Kira and Reed looked maliciously proud of what they did, and Harry had no idea what was happening but he recognized the look in their eyes. It was the same look Draco Malfoy painted on his face every year they were in school. 

Before anyone else did anything, Marty dropped his broom and turned on his heel and took off at top speed. T.J. looked between Kira and Reed, then back at his brother, unsure of what to do until Cyrus looked him in the eyes. “Go, he needs you. We’ll handle this.” T.J. nodded and gave his broom to Cyrus before he took off in a sprint after his brother. Buffy let her broom fall to the ground as she also ran after him, barely a half step behind T.J.

* * *

T.J. was forced to stop when the Fat Lady swung her portrait door closed behind Marty. “I’m sorry Slytherin, I cannot let you in without the password.”

“Please ma'am!” He said desperately. “That’s my brother.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m bound by the rules. I need the password to open. For safety. Once the password is said, it matters not the color they wear to go through the door.”

“But-“

_ “Cetus.”  _

The fat lady slowly swung open and T.J. turned around to see Buffy. “Come on,” she said. “Are you going to stand out here all day?” 

He went in first and she went after. “Why are you here?”

“Same reason you are.”

“Don’t you hate him?”

She sighed. “I hate that he doesn’t know why I don’t hate him…”

“What?”

“Just...not important right now. Point is, I do care, and...that was not cool.”

“No...it wasn’t.” They stopped outside Marty’s private prefect dorm room. T.J. knocked and heard Marty scream go away. He was about to pull out his wand and open the door when Buffy put her hand over his. 

“Marty...we’re out here. We’re staying out here until you’re ready to come and talk,” she promised. “We won’t leave, but we’re not coming in until you’re ready for us to come in.” 

He looked at her about to protest when she put a hand up. “Cyrus’s parents taught me this,” she said. “He’ll feel attacked and forced if we go now. We opened the door, it’s his job to come in.” 

T.J. nodded. “I hate it that you’re always right.” 

Both of them sighed and sat down on opposite ends of Marty’s door frame, barely hearing Marty’s silent sobbing. After about twenty minutes though, they faintly heard him cast Alohomora, and the door creaked open. They both looked at each other and nodded before they got up and went inside. 

“They shouldn’t have done that,” T.J. said. “That was…”

“Also,” Buffy said. “I know how important it was for you to hear your name…” 

“Maria is my real name,” Marty mumbled… “At least that’s what a lot of people told me.”

“Marty is your real name,” Buffy said. “Maria is...what did Mr. Goodman call it? Your dead name, right?”

He sighed and sat on the bed, properly, looking down at his lap. “My mother named me...what you just heard,” he said. “Minus the Kippen part, obviously. But...I was seven when I started realizing that I...I’m a boy...or at least that I felt like a boy...that’s when…”

“That’s when you were kicked out by a shitty parent,” T.J. said. “Someone who frankly didn’t deserve you, not the other way around.”

“It’s just…nobody knew, everyone thought of me as a boy. Even here in the dorms! I was able to fool the stairs and it let me up to the boy’s dormitory all these years.”

“Because you are a boy,” T.J. said. “Hogwarts recognized that from the start.”

“Well nobody will see me that way anymore. They’ll see me as *trans. Not just a boy at first glance, which was amazing...refreshing...do you know how hard I worked to hide my binder?! All of it, wasted now.”

“It’s not wasted. People got to know you without the label.”

“Now the label is there, glaring, and that’s for the people who respect trans identities. Others...they’ll call me a girl now.”

“Then they’d be wrong and I can take away points for hate speech, we all can!” 

“There’s also…” he looked at Buffy, then back down at his lap and sighed. “The person I like...I really like...if she even liked me before…she won’t now.”

“Why not?” T.J. asked. Buffy looked intrigued and sat down next to him in bed. 

“Because...she’s straight…”

“Yes, and?” Buffy asked. 

“Well...you’re straight...right?” He asked her.

“Yes, I am. Personally not attracted to other girls.” Marty deflated. 

“Well…now you...a girl like you...I don’t fall under straight…”

“Why? A straight girl would date guys,” she said, catching on.

“Yeah...but a traditional guy, right?” 

Buffy, turned his face up and kissed him, shocking even T.J., who just stared with his eyes as wide as teacup saucers. 

“Define traditional, _Martin Rodrigo Sousa-Kippen_,” she challenged. “Besides, I like a little competition in my love life. Keeps it exciting.”

While T.J. stared at Buffy like she grew a third head, Marty stared at her like she sprouted wings and a halo. Maybe she did. He couldn’t honestly tell at this point.

“Yeah…” Marty got out after a while. “I like excitement….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know it’s a longer chapter than usual, and please don’t expect this every time. I was tempted to break it up and leave a cliffhanger, but it wouldn’t work in the flow that the story is going to go. Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please comment if you read this! I might even be tempted to do something like...put all comments into a randomizes and select one at random to win a fun little prize? Please please please please please please please please please please!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Love you all, and have a magical day!


	5. The Quidditch Pitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you read this (yes if you liked it or not, or if you’re a guest or not) please comment and add your house in the comments! Any comments that don’t have the house points go to MY house *GRYFFINDOR*
> 
> So the current points are:  
Slytherin : 0   
Ravenclaw: 10  
Hufflepuff: 10  
Gryffindor: 60 
> 
> I’ve also decided that the winning house by the second to last chapter is the house that will be featured in the epilogue and where a certain descendant will go!

Thankfully, T.J. still remembered the password from yesterday and he was able to convince the Fat Lady to let his green Slytherin self into the common room. He left last night with Buffy promising to take care of him and telling him to go meet up with Amber, and he wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked into the red and gold common room. 

What he didn’t expect was to walk in on Buffy and Marty with their shirts and sweaters untucked, their ties loosened, and asleep together on the couch in front of the fire. They were cuddling so comfortably, looking like they had a nice long talk last night and fell asleep halfway through it. T.J. actually thought it was really cute and took out his phone, thankful that Cyrus taught him how to use the camera feature and snapped a picture. 

He, however, left the sound on and the sound of the shutter woke the two up. Buffy looked around blearily, and she narrowed her eyes at T.J. “What the hell do you want Kippen?”

“Checking in on my brother,” he said, watching Marty rub his eyes and fish out his glasses from the end tables of the couch. “So...does this mean my little brother has a girlfriend?”

“I’m only two months younger,” he mumbled, looking around with his glasses. 

“Well…?” T.J. ruffled Marty’s hair, watching his brother groan and swat his hand away. 

“Yes,” Buffy interrupted. “Yes he has a girlfriend, so step off snake.”

“Aww, I’m hurt,” T.J. pouted. “I came to get you because Headmaster Metcalf wants to talk to you. In your Gryffindor Quidditch gear.”

“Should I go too?” Buffy asked. 

“No, not to the meeting, but you should call up an emergency practice of sorts,” T.J. said. “Metcalf said all the teams should run drills as soon as they can. And go over codes of conduct. Cyrus and Andi are also gonna be there, apparently.”

“Why?”

T.J. shrugged.

“Alright,” Marty said. “Let me get changed and I’ll head up to Metcalf…” he yawned. 

T.J. stopped him. “Bro...please don’t wear your binder on the pitch,” he said quietly.

“Dude...Come on, you know…”

“I know about your dysphoria Mar,” he said softly. “But it’s dangerous. There’s probably spells and sports bras that work really well. Buffy is just about the smartest witch since Hermione Granger, she can help, when you’re ready to ask for it.”

“You’re admitting Driscoll is good?”

“This never leaves the conversation,” he joked lightly. “But seriously, it’s not safe for you. You need to breathe in Quidditch, and binders aren’t the best for that.”

“Well what am I supposed to do?”

“Your padding should flatten you a good amount,” he said. “And a sports bra. I just worry about you. You shouldn’t even have slept in your binder last night.”

He sighed. “Fine...fine…” T.J. pat his back and started heading out of Marty’s private room. Buffy got up and looked T.J. over. 

“You know who changed the sheet, don’t you?”

“I do,” he said. “Did you know it wasn’t just one person?”

Buffy looked shocked. “I didn’t…” she said quietly. “Slytherins?”

“Unfortunately,” he sighed. 

“And? You’re just gonna leave it at that?” Buffy accused, she didn’t ask. 

“Really Driscoll? I know you hate my guts and think that I would do nothing? I’m a prefect, the quidditch captain, and most importantly, above all else, that part I’m actually insulted by, is that Marty is my  ** _brother. _ ** Kira and Reed didn’t just insult him. They outed him, exposed him, tried to humiliate him, all for like, a joke or...Kira thinking this would be some sort of appropriate revenge...I mean, Reed is too much of a laid back slacker to do it alone, but he aided and abetted Kira, so he’s facing the same things.”

Buffy actually looked a little ashamed. “I guess...I just have this mental image of you…”

“And I really hope I can change your mind,” he said. “Already took fifty points from each of them.”

“You took one hundred points from your own house?” 

“Gave you fifty for being a good friend to him...that was before I found out you were dating,” he said. “Feel free to give more points to Gryffindor and remove points from Slytherin. They deserve to have the entire house hate them.”

Buffy looked him over and nodded. “Maybe you are a good brother…” she said. “But I’m still not one hundred percent trusting of you as a friend for Cyrus.”

His face fell and he nodded. “I understand...but...Cyrus really is the best thing to happen to me...please...just don’t ruin it. If it’s gonna be ruined, let me fuck myself over.”

“Why do you think you’ll ruin it?” She asked defensively.

“Because that’s what always happens,” he said. “Anything good in my life, I always ruin it. Easier not to have anything most of the time.” Buffy’s face fell and even before she could say anything, T.J. started walking away. “See you on the pitch captain Driscoll.”

* * *

Marty took a shaky breath as he started making his way towards the headmaster’s office. He didn’t know what to expect and waited for the stairs to appear before he started climbing up them. Was this about yesterday? Did this mean he was going to be asked to abstain from the trips for “his personal safety?” Did Kira’s parents complain and now want him kicked out? It could be anything. 

He stepped into the office to see Amber finishing up her cup of tea and thanking everyone before she started over to him and gave him a little hug. 

“Am...what’s going on?”

“We’re Kippens,” she said. “Mostly Slytherins with the best Gryffindor around. Mess with one of us,” she said. “Everyone bares their teeth.” She started leaving and he was about to ask more questions when he saw Professor Longbottom, his head of house, appear in front of him. 

“Mr. Sousa-Kippen, we’d all like to have a word please?”

Marty gulped a little and followed him in, and he saw Headmaster Metcalf sitting with Bowie, Hagrid, and most amazingly of all, Harry Potter. 

“I...uh...is everything okay? B-Professor Mack?” Bowie looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Bowie…” he corrected slowly. He forgot that Professor Mack was only in the classroom, and primarily for Bex. “May I ask what’s going on?” 

“Marty...I have to apologize to you on behalf of my house,” Bowie said. “What Kira and Reed did...absolutely inexcusable. I yelled at them for hours last night, and took a dinner break and let Amber and T.J. take over the yelling before I got back in there and kept yelling again.”

“Wow...Thank you, sir…”

“An Don’t worry, lad,” Hagrid said. “They’ll be servin’ detention e’ry week in the forbidden forest wit me...until I decide they’ve had enough. They’ll lose lots o’ Saturdays under my watch. Hope they don’t have Christmas plans...or Easter.”

Marty was shocked and kept looking around until he landed on the headmaster and his idol. “Alright professors, if you’d please leave the three of us the room please?” They all nodded and left, and Marty looked forward. “Now...I’m sure you’ll have questions…”

“What does this mean for me?” Marty asked. “Does this mean...I mean...I know some board members were agreeing with the right wing English parliament when they were discussing bathroom bills, and if they insist on me going to the girl’s bathroom…”

“Mr. Sousa-Kippen...I assure you,” he said. “You’ll still use your proper bathroom, the same one you’ve used for the past four years, and will use for the next three. Anyone who has any problems or says anything, that will be considered a hate micro-aggression and you have authorization to take five points from them. All the other heads and prefects were notified, and even Quidditch captains have been given authorization to add or remove points in terms of discrimination and inclusion.” 

Marty was looking at them in shock. “Wow...all that for me?”

“Well, for all students in general,” the headmaster said. “But your situation brought it to our attention. Hogwarts was meant to be inclusive to everyone, regardless of background, blood type, race, gender, sexuality, all of the above, everything. That’s also why we’re even allowing technology on campus now.” 

Marty blushed. “You know about the phones?”

“I’m the one who lifted the provisions for them not to explode on sight,” he said back with a knowing wink. 

“Oh…” 

“So long as they aren’t used in your classes, I have no problem with them. We’re modern wizards here, are we not?”

Marty nodded. 

“And I came because I wanted to apologize,” Harry Potter said and Marty was officially frozen, staring at him. 

“Your sister told me that you admired me, and for a refreshing change of pace, not because of the prophecy, but for something closer to home,” he moved around the Headmaster’s desk and sat in the chair next to Marty’s. “You didn’t have the best home in your early childhood, did you?”

“N..no sir…”

“Yes...well you know about my struggles with the Dursley’s. They never allowed me to be myself...as a wizard or as a kid. I was their servant, their nuisance, and even though I made up with Dudley and had some pleasant words with my aunt Petunia...I haven’t exactly forgiven them...nor should I. And you don’t have to forgive the people who deny your identity.”

“Normally...that isn’t how things go…” Marty said. “Normally people would have whoever dead named me apologize and make me forgive them.”

“They did something to hurt you, and not even something like pushing off the swings. This is something traumatizing, incredibly serious…they tried to invalidate you,” Harry said. “Which is why they’ve been kicked off the trial classes, and the excursions, and your brother even expelled them from the Quidditch team.”

“Wait...seriously?” Marty was shocked. 

“You have very good siblings, the kind of siblings I wish I had...the kind the Weasleys had…In fact, after this I’m going to your mother’s house and shaking her hand because a woman to raise children like all of you...she’s comparable to Molly Weasley.” 

Marty couldn’t help but smile and laugh a little. “Yeah...she’s amazing...I wish I had her as a mom from the beginning.”

“You have her, that’s more than I personally could have ever said,” he said. “Especially since she actually helped me work through the prejudices that the Dursley’s installed in me...the ones that made it unnecessarily hard for me to accept Albus and Scorpio dating when they told me their fourth year…of course that could have just been me not enjoying the fact any of my children was dating a Malfoy…”

“Harry,” Metcalf tried to get him back on track. 

“Right. Point is, your identity should not be an exception to why you’re not treated with respect. And I will have no tolerance with anyone making anyone else feeling lesser for who they are.”

“Thank you sir...that means a lot. In the muggle world, sometimes they would remove me so that there wouldn’t be conflicts…”

“That’s horrible,” he said. “You simply exist. Those who have a problem should be isolated.”

Marty tried not to tear up. “Thank you...I...I don’t know what else to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything else,” he said. “But here’s what I will want you to do. Call me over the summer,” he said, pulling out a business card. “And tell me what you’re interested in. I will get you and your siblings a summer apprenticeship in the areas of your choosing.”

“Wait...is this for real?”

“Those who are high born and living what everyone considered “traditional” lifestyles already have all the advantages. Here’s one tailor-made to the Kippens. I can’t guarantee anything for your friends however, but I won’t say no to helping them either.”

“Thank you...but...why are we wearing our Quidditch gear?”

“Oh,” Harry said. “Ginny called over the rest of her team and the Chudley Cannons. We’re going to have some friendly games with you lot. Everyone participating in the excursions will play.”

* * *

“No! No No no! This is a bad idea! This is a no good horrible very bad idea…” Cyrus was no less than ten feet away from the closest broom and Jonah, Buffy, and T.J. were all trying to talk him down from his freak out.

“Come on Cy,” T.J. pleaded. “You’re already in Quidditch gear.”

“FOR THE WRONG HOUSE!” 

“Because Stevie is serving a lunch detention today,” T.J. said. He replaced Kira and Reed with sixth years Stevie Nichols and Alex Russo. “I’m a team member short and you’re an excursion member extra. And you look really good in green…”

“Stop trying to convert him!” Buffy said. “But there’s seriously nothing to worry about! I spoke to Molly Thompson and she agreed to take over the chaser position you were supposed to be looking after. You’re just a keeper right now.”

“Oh yeah, I get to have flying balls to my face!” Cyrus paused and blushed and Jonah bit back a laugh for a dirty joke. 

“Come on Cy Guy. You’re wearing a Hufflepuff prefect badge on a Slytherin uniform. However you play, we badgers come out winning,” he joked. “Besides, it’s just for fun.”

“I get hurt, easily, and you clearly don’t remember me in first year flying classes.”

“We remember,” the three said unanimously. 

“Underdog,” T.J. put an arm around his shoulders and brought him close, making Cyrus blush again, especially after his unintentional balls joke. “You can do this.”

“I can’t-“

“You can,” he said. “Just like you could walk in and demand your pudding from the house-elves, and you could float weightlessly over the astronomy tower, and you could do a somersault.”

“I still can’t believe you did that last one with me the summer before last,” he mumbled blushing.

“Of course I did, because I believe in you more than you believe in yourself, apparently,” he looked down into Cyrus’s eyes. “Look, I’ll hang back on my usual chaser duties and stick around with you. We just need you in the actual air flying around...well...flying mostly stationary in front of the goals. I don’t even care if you actually block the balls, this is just a fun game with Quidditch professionals.”

“How professional?” 

“Okay...how much do you know about American Football?” Jonah asked. And Cyrus looked helplessly at him. “Do you know the name of some of the teams? Like if I said Patriots? Eagles? Dolphins?” 

“Yeah, that’s the extent of my knowledge. Names.”

“Well...you know that objectively, they’re good to be at that level, right?”

“Right.”

“Imagine those guys are coming here and playing American Football with us.” 

“Oh...wow…”

“You think they’re playing seriously?”

“Not in the slightest,” Cyrus let out a breath. “Just playing the ball and probably signing autographs, right?”

“Exactly!” Jonah said. “But we just need the field to look even.”

“Please fly?” T.J. showed his puppy dog eyes at him and Cyrus sighed. 

“Only if you stay near me,” he said. “And I get to keep this Slytherin quidditch costume.”

T.J. laughed and shook his hand striking the deal. They both got on their brooms and started flying up together. “Why do you want the Slytherin uniform anyways?” T.J. asked. Of course T.J. thought that Cyrus looked absolutely drop dead amazing in that green, but that might have been narcissism in some form.

“Kinda reminds me of my sorting.”

“Wait...really?”

“Yeah, I was a hat-stall,” he said. “Apparently a perfect fit for Slytherin and Hufflepuff. But the sorting hat said that my soulmate was going to be in the house I was not, so...that’s been interesting.”

“Why has it been interesting?” T.J.’s heart was beating really fast, and he could almost feel it in his throat.

“Oh...I actually forgot I didn’t tell you, since I told everyone else that was important to me,” he said. “And you’re one of my closest friends and I didn’t...wow…” he got a little nervous. “I mean, obviously I’m the same guy you’ve known all this time but...well...I’m gay.”

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

* * *

T.J.’s heart stopped right there and he swallowed. He had smiled at Cyrus at that moment and said that he didn’t care that Cyrus was gay, because he was still his best friend, and he did mean it, but he was immediately sent to a memory in his first year.

* * *

_ His name was called, and thankfully, not his full name, only his initials, and T.J. made his way up to the stool and sat down, hearing the booming voice of the Sorting Hat in his head.  _ ** _Look at you. Another perfect split. You could either be in Hufflepuff or Slytherin, a perfect match for both._ **

_ A perfect match? That can’t be! Was he supposed to choose. _

** _Only if you really want to choose. But, I know your sister is in Slytherin, and I think you should go there instead. I see your soulmate here. Another perfect Hufflepuff and Slytherin fit. But I already sent your soulmate to Hufflepuff and your soulmate believes that you will be in Slytherin, and that’s how you can find each other. Only if you approve. Do you, Thelonious Jagger?_ **

_ Of course he wanted to find his soulmate! It sounded perfect! A great way to spend his years and graduate!  _

_ “SLYTHERIN!”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you read this (yes if you liked it or not, or if you’re a guest or not) please comment and add your house in the comments! Any comments that don’t have the house points go to MY house *GRYFFINDOR*
> 
> So the current points are:  
Slytherin : 0   
Ravenclaw: 10  
Hufflepuff: 10  
Gryffindor: 60 
> 
> I’ve also decided that the winning house by the second to last chapter is the house that will be featured in the epilogue and where a certain descendant will go!
> 
> COMMENT


	6. The Room of Requirement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you read this (yes if you liked it or not, or if you’re a guest or not) please comment and add your house in the comments! Any comments that don’t have the house, points go to MY house *GRYFFINDOR*
> 
> So the current points are:  
Slytherin : 20  
Ravenclaw: 20  
Hufflepuff: 20  
Gryffindor: 70
> 
> Warning: mention of death.

"He said he's gay!"

"So you said."

"He likes boys!"

"That's what gay typically means."

"He's attracted to men!"

"T.J." Amber grabbed his arm to stop his pacing. They were in her private 6th year prefect room and she was on the bed, resting against the headboard. "Stop freaking out. He's gay, so what?"

"So, what?!"

"Well I know you're not homophobic, so deep breaths and use your words."

T.J. kept pacing and took a deep breath. “I think I'm gay."

"Jag...that's huge of you to say..."

"And I think I like Cyrus..."

" ...Honestly...we all kind of knew that..."

“WHAT?!" T.J. put his hands up in his hair and almost started pulling it out.

"Jag, you two aren't exactly subtle about how much you two like each other.. Marty is already writing a best man speech for your guys’ wedding.”

T.J. groaned, sitting down on the edge of the bed and hid his face. "Kill me now. Better than facing everyone."

"Why? Do you think people will treat you differently because you're gay?"

"No. I think Buffy Driscoll will never stop teasing me for this.”

Amber giggled a little. “Yeah...that’s fair. Even she thinks you should get over yourself and talk to each other.”

“We talk all the time,” he said. 

“Talk about this? I mean, Cyrus is gay, you’re gay, bloody hell, you like him!”

“There’s more…” T.J. said, looking down, unable to look his sister in the eye.

“Is it the fact that you’re not ready to come out, because of course you should come out at your own pace to only people you want knowing…”

“No...it’s not that,” he interrupted. “It’s,” he took a deep breath. “During my sorting, the hat told me that my soulmate was like me...a perfect Hufflepuff and Slytherin split.”

“The hat told you about your soulmate?”

“Yeah...turns out I have one...who knew, right?” He chuckled. “Well...at the game with the professional quidditch players, Cyrus asked me if he could keep the Slytherin uniform because the hat told him he was a perfect Hufflepuff and Slytherin split…”

“Oh...oh my god…” Amber’s eyes looked as wide as dinner plates and she sat up straighter. “Cyrus is your soulmate!!!”

“Amber!”

“Cyrus Goodman is your soulmate!” She lunched forward and tackled him. “You have your best friend as a soulmate!”

“Amber! Stop!” He was laughing now.

“Oh we have to celebrate! And you have to tell him!”

“Amber...I can’t be absolutely sure it’s him…”

“I’m sure. Everyone is sure! We’re going to celebrate and have a party!”

“No parties!”

“Fine,” she said pulling out her phone. “But I am calling Marty over for a Kippen family sleepover. And he still has to celebrate getting a girlfriend.”

* * *

Cyrus was sitting in the courtyard with Andi and Buffy when Walker came up to them. “Hey guys, have you seen Iris anywhere?” 

“No,” Cyrus said. “Why?”

“Well, we were talking about organizing a meeting between all the prefects to discuss how we should handle hate speech and all that good stuff,” he said. “So...I guess I’ll tell you guys as well that we’re organizing a meeting between the prefects and the house heads.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Andi said. “Is this because of Kira and Reed?”

“Yeah, we’re thinking of doing a student tribunal as well, and asking for a higher punishment than just detention. There’s a lot more queer kids at Hogwarts and just like purist speech is banned and strictly enforced, racist, xenophobic, and homophobic speech should be too,” Walker said. 

“I agree in theory,” Cyrus said. “But we have to be very specific about what the rules are and how far we go with this. If we get accused of limiting free speech…”

“That’s true,” Buffy said. “Typically the worst people here at Hogwarts have some of the most powerful parents. Kira’s father is high up in the ministry.”

“Right. That’s what we were all going to discuss before we brought it in front of Professor Longbottom and Headmaster Metcalf,” Walker said. “Let her know to find me if you see her?”

“You got it,” Andi said. “And maybe we could talk it over some later tonight?” Andi said. “I’ve got some ideas some punishments that Reed and Kira could do to “get their punishment over with” faster...so to speak…”

“Totally, see you later tonight, and I’ll see you guys around,” he said to Buffy and Cyrus before leaving.

“Weird. I haven’t seen Iris all day, or last night,” Cyrus said. 

“Maybe she’s just stressed about mid-term exams? She was the type,” Buffy said. 

“Yeah, I bet she’s holed up in one of the few private study rooms of the library,” Cyrus said. “She always worried about things months before the rest of us get worried. She almost puts my worrying to shame.” They all laughed a little at that. 

“Well, the day Iris stops worrying is the day I start worrying,” Buffy said. 

Cyrus was about to say something when his train of thought was interrupted by a text message. 

-Meet me in the Room of Requirement?- 

“Who is it?” Andi asked. 

“T.J., he wants me to meet him. You guys don’t mind, do you?”

Buffy smiled and met Andi’s confused gaze. “Go ahead,” she said. “We’ve got things to do here.”

“What?”

“Go.”

* * *

Cyrus walked in front of the empty hallway, thinking of finding T.J. three times until a door appeared. He smiled and pulled the door open and gasped when he saw the inside of the room. 

“Cy...you coming in?” T.J. stood just a bit in front of the door smiling nervously. 

“How...how?” It looked like the little park in his neighborhood back home. It even had a working sunrise and sunset, and the playground he used to spend hours in. “How?” 

“Well, this is the year of the OWLs,” T.J. said. “And I know you’re going to be stressing out over the tests any day now, and you told me what helped you de-stress was swinging…”

“But how did you recreate the park?” He asked, walking around. 

“I wrote your parents and begged them for pictures.” He dropped his robe over a park bench and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and sweater. His tie was already slightly loosened around his neck. “Well...want to try?”

“I…” Cyrus took his own robe off and dropped his bag with it. “I can’t believe you did this…” he got on the swing and started humming something. 

“Does it help?”

“Helps me,” Cyrus said smiling. “You look stressed, like you could use a swing.”

T.J. smiled and sat next to him, swinging a little. “So...what do you think?”

“This is absolutely perfect…” Cyrus said. “But...what brought this on?”

“I...I actually wanted to talk to you before I chickened out,” he said. “I...you were just so brave with me yesterday and you acted like it was nothing…”

“What? Because I came out to you?” He asked. “I just...the first few times I came out, I was scared out of my mind, telling Buffy first, then Andi...they kind of just helped me realize that it doesn’t matter who I like, it’s still me.”

“It’s still brave...especially since it took me until about three quarters of the way into our third year for us for me to be nice to you while everyone else here was your friends almost instantly,” he said. “And I mean...I’ve told you before that you’re a great part of my life...maybe even one of the best.”

“Wow...thanks...but…” Cyrus stopped coming to a realization. “Teej…?”

“I feel like I already know everything about you,” he said. “Is there...is there anything you want to know about me?”

Cyrus looked him up and down and decided to test the waters. “Will I ever know what T.J. stands for?”

“Oh not that!” T.J. started freaking out. “It’s too embarrassing!”

“Come on, I can’t know your name?” Cyrus said. “You’re about to discover the first person to *literally* die of curiosity!” 

T.J. looked at this person sitting on the swing next to him, someone who looked at him not like he was some intimidating looming figure, or the bane of their existence, but like a person, and with warmth in his eyes. “Okay...but it doesn’t leave this room. You have to swear,” he held out a hand with a pinky. “With the muggle version of an unbreakable vow.”

Cyrus smiled and it sent T.J.’s heart to his throat when Cyrus wrapped his pinkie around his. “I promise.”

T.J. took a deep breath. This was like a test...how Cyrus reacted was how they’d proceed. “T.J. stands for...my parents really really love muggle music, you have to understand…” Cyrus gestured to himself. “Okay...fair enough...T.J. stands for...Thelonious...Jagger…”

“Thelonious Jagger?” Cyrus said, and T.J. gripped the chains of his swing. “Are you serious?” T.J.’s face started to fall. Of course he’d make fun of it...it was a stupid name. “That is a great name! I love that name!” Cyrus lit up and T.J. couldn’t help but snap back to his eyes. 

“Really?”

“Yeah...really…” T.J. could see it in his eyes, Cyrus was being serious.

“My grandparents didn’t think so,” he said with a little laugh. “They said ‘It’s a ridiculous name! We’re calling him T.J.’ and I’ve been T.J. since I was three days old.” Cyrus laughed a little and that smile warmed up everything in his heart. “And...is there….is there anything else you wanted to know?”

Cyrus looked in his eyes and knew. “Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?”

T.J. took a deep breath. “I’m gay too…”

“Really?” Cyrus’s eyes lit up, almost like a little hope, but he quickly seemed to compose himself. “I’m...I’m really proud of you…” he said, reaching out to touch T.J.’s shoulder. 

“There’s...uh….” he said trying to get a rock to come loose from his throat. “Did...did the sorting hat tell you anything else? Other than your house?” He asked nervously, babbling almost as much as Cyrus did on a good day.

“Y..yeah,” he said. “It did...why?”

“I was a hatstall,” T.J. said. He had to get it out of him before he exploded or backed away. “Perfect split...between...Slytherin and...and...Hufflepuff…” 

Cyrus’s jaw actually dropped and he seemed to look over T.J. about two million times, always meeting his eyes between every scan. “Teej…”

“And it told me that my soulmate…”

“Was the same? But in the other house?” Cyrus said, finishing the sentence. 

“Yeah…I mean...I understand if you don’t want to do anything because there’s a lot of new informatio-oh…” T.J. stopped when he felt Cyrus’s hand leave his shoulder and instead move to his fingers. “Cy...do you…?”

“Only as far as you’re willing...we’re both willing…” he said. “And I mean that privately and publicly…”

T.J. nodded. “Publicly...I need some time...I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Everyone takes their own time and goes at their own pace. I took my time.”

He nodded again. “But privately...and that includes my siblings and your friends...because I don’t really have any right now…”

“Lie.”

“That aren’t friends with me because you are friends with me,” he said more pointedly, and Cyrus couldn’t really respond. T.J.’s old friends were really toxic and he kept dropping them. “But to them...if you’re okay with...dating?”

“I’m pretty sure they started bets on when we’d finally do it,” Cyrus said honestly with a little laugh. 

“Marty wrote a best man speech,” T.J. admitted blushing. 

“And that’s why he’s the first Kippen Buffy warmed up to,” Cyrus said laughing louder. “But...I’m wi-,” he stopped himself. Not the right words, not the right feelings. “I would absolutely love to be able to call you my boyfriend, even if it was just between the two of us or between our friends.”

T.J. broke out into a huge smile. “Then why don’t we go tell them?” 

Cyrus squeezed his hand and they got up from the swings and gathered their things before they started walking out, the door behind them disappearing. They started walking down the hall when they saw a blur running up to them. They instinctively dropped hands and were nervous until they saw it was Walker. 

“Hey...what’s going on?” T.J. said. 

“Oh thank god it’s you two! We have to go to the prefect bathroom right now!” 

“What’s going on?” 

He met Cyrus’s eyes and those eyes were too wide, too scared even. 

“Walker?” T.J. asked nervously. 

“Iris…she’s in there…”

“Is she okay?!”

He shook his head. “...She’s dead…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...you thought things would be easy for our little troop? As always, please comment, If you read this (yes if you liked it or not, or if you’re a guest or not) please comment and add your house in the comments! Any comments that don’t have the house, points go to MY house *GRYFFINDOR*
> 
> So the current points are:  
Slytherin : 20  
Ravenclaw: 20  
Hufflepuff: 20  
Gryffindor: 70


	7. Christmastime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please comment, If you read this (yes if you liked it or not, or if you’re a guest or not) please comment and add your house in the comments! Any comments that don’t have the house, points go to MY house *GRYFFINDOR*
> 
> So the current points are:  
Slytherin : 30  
Ravenclaw: 50  
Hufflepuff: 50  
Gryffindor: 60

Everyone wore all black for the next several weeks while Headmaster Metcalf worked with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger to get Iris’s parents over to Hogwarts so they could try and get her things. The halls were quiet except for hushed whispers filled with conspiracy over what happened to her. All that was known is that she was found in the prefect’s bathroom looking like she was asleep, so everything about that was suspicious. 

Cyrus was the one who was the most depressed about Iris’s passing. He didn’t know what to do. He was allowed to appoint anyone he wished for her replacement. Honestly, nobody in his year was fitting, in his opinion, so he talked to the 6th year prefects and the Head Boy and Girl and they allowed him to pick fourth year Riley Matthews, who went into a seven minute monologue about how conflicted she was about whether she should be happy about being named prefect given the circumstances of her appointment. 

“You know, people say that I ramble when I don’t know what to say,” he said. “But I think Riley beat my personal record.”

“Wow...I’m even a little scared to meet her,” T.J. joked, taking Cyrus’s hand. They were sitting along the walls of the south corridor, just taking in the reactions. Iris had been dead only a week and a half, the same amount of time that the two had been dating, but sometimes it felt like she died yesterday and other times, like it had been years. 

“She’s the best match for a prefect,” Cyrus said. “She would have been selected next year anyways. She’s sweet, smart, outgoing…”

“She’s you, isn’t she?” T.J. said with a laugh. “Think Iris would like her?”

“Iris would love her,” Cyrus said. “She already put a rainbow sticker on her badge. She said there needs to be some sunshine in the darkest times to remind us all to keep going.”

T.J. smiled and pulled Cyrus in. “She’s a great match for a Hufflepuff prefect,” he said. Cyrus laid his head on T.J.’s shoulder and they both stretched their legs out into the hallway. “Have you gone into the bathroom since then?”

Cyrus shook his head. “Nobody has…”

“Think we should? She might have dropped something that could tell us why she was in there in the first place? What happened?”

“T.J...that’s where she…” Cyrus looked scared. 

“Cy...we walk around with ghosts all the time. You have swapped biscuit recipes with the Fat Friar on multiple occasions. Are you scared of death?”

“The ghosts here all died long long ago,” he said. “Iris...Iris was now.”

“I understand,” he said. “But...I think you should see what happened, for her sake.”

Cyrus winced and hung his head. “I hate that you’re right….”

* * *

“Mari-Morgan,” Cyrus said at the entrance and watched the secret passageway open up for him and T.J. to walk through. T.J. took Cyrus’s hand, watching him physically relax before they walked in. Neither of them had their robes on, one less thing to worry about dragging in the water and T.J.’s tie was disheveled and his sleeves rolled up while Cyrus was perfectly pressed and proper, looking like a catalogue entry for uniform dress code. 

“Well...this is where she was found…” T.J. said, looking at Cyrus. “Ever been in here before?”

“Once...only because I heard that they had a way of making the bubbles smell like your happiest memories…”

“Yeah...I did that too,” he said. “What was it for you?”

“Chocolate Chocolate chip muffins, baby taters from this restaurant back home, my stepmother’s favorite laundry detergent, and...now I get it,” he chuckled. “The quidditch pitch.”

“Mine also has the quidditch pitch,” he said. “And the smell of the kitchens, blueberry macadamia muffins, and what I recently found out is a muggle shampoo brand…should I guess it’s yours?” 

Cyrus blushed. “You probably wouldn’t have too far off of a guess…” he said, then he squinted at the stained glass window. “Isn’t there normally a mermaid there?” 

T.J. nodded, and let go of his hand to try and get a closer look. But right as he started getting closer, a figure popped out from the sink. 

“A visitor!!! I haven’t seen anyone in such a long, long time,” it was a Ravenclaw girl with pigtails and glasses. 

“Are...are you Mo-Myrtle?” He asked, remembering the stories of how she hated her name. 

“You were going to say Moaning Myrtle...thank you for not saying it,” she said, a slight wail in her voice. “But I suppose I can’t blame you...it’s been so long since people talked about me...other than as poor, miserable, Moaning Myrtle,” she kept backing T.J. into a corner, and he had to be very careful not to fall into the giant bath that should have been labeled as an Olympic sized swimming pool.

“I’m sorry about that…” he said, making his way to a wall and hugging it as Myrtle was two inche from his face. Cyrus debated saving his boyfriend or openly laughing at his situation. 

“It’s okay, now that there’s a big, strong, man here to spend some time with me…” she said, and even gestured to his arms, like she wanted to squeeze his biceps. “You’re even handsomer than Harry Potter was as a fifth year…”

“Thank you…?” T.J. looked at Cyrus, begging for help, but Cyrus shook his head. Everyone knew better than to get between Myrtle and her focus of attention. 

“So uh…” T.J. said, getting away from the bath as much as he could. “How long were you in here? Because our friend-“

“You’re the friends of that new dead girl!” She said, and she saw Cyrus and zoomed up to him, making him stumble back on the floor. “Hufflepuff Prefect? Are you Cyrus Goodman?!” 

“I...uh...yes?”

“You don’t sound too sure of yourself.” T.J. used her distraction to get away from the walls and far from the water. 

“I am...I’m Cyrus Goodman...How do you know me?”

“That Iris girl doesn’t shut up about you,” she said. “Your hair, your eyes, your love of Renaissance…”

“Iris?” Cyrus started getting up. “Is she a ghost?”

Before Myrtle could answer, another ghost showed up behind him. “Cyrus?”

He scrambled up and looked behind him. “Iris?!”

“Cyrus!” She smiled and went up to him. “Oh I wish I could hug you!” 

“Iris! What happened?! One minute we were bantering in the dining hall and the next…”

“I don’t remember,” she said. “I don’t remember a lot…It’s like I just woke up and...poof, I’m dead…” 

“Oh my god…I’m so sorry...I just...all of us...I...Iris somehow you’ve turned my rambling into speechlessness,” he said laughing a little. 

“Oh Cy…” she looked down. “I just feel terrible that I left you like this…”

“Left like...like what?” Cyrus asked, and T.J. frowned. And then she got close. 

“I mean...the last thing I remember is our first kiss…”

T.J. actually stumbled a little and Cyrus was frozen. 

“Well…” Myrtle said. “Iris has her boy...I guess I’ve got mine,” she said coming closer to T.J. 

“Oh Myrtle...I’ve got to update you on a few things...maybe I’ll leave you my phone here and you can watch Will and Grace to start…” 

“Will and what?”

“Iris…” Cyrus said. “You don’t remember anything after our first kiss?”

“Like what?”

“Our talk...about me...and the kind of person I am…”

“You mean a sweet sensitive guy? Not like any other guy?” 

“There’s a reason for that…” T.J. mumbled. 

“Okay,” Cyrus said. “Maybe...we take some baby steps…” Cyrus said. “But uh...what you don’t remember is a bit of a mutual...uncoupling...we had.”

“That doesn’t seem right...you were the best boyfriend I’ve had.”

“Somehow I don’t doubt that,” T.J. said, escaping Myrtle. 

“Well...our first kiss was in our third year...we’re fifth years now...so...it was mutual, we’re still friends...and...I just got into a relationship with someone else…”

“Is she pretty?” She asked, studying him. “Is she prettier than me?”

“Um….” Cyrus looked at her and T.J. nervously. 

“We’ll reconnect,” T.J. said. “But first...maybe you both should watch this,” he left his phone down. Ghosts would manipulate technology well enough to press pause and play. “That might give you the introduction you guys need. And we’ll come back for it after our classes today...so...enjoy!”

He grabbed Cyrus’s hand and they ran out of the bathroom while listening to the video start playing. 

“You actually are letting them watch Will and Grace?” Cyrus asked. 

“Thought it would be the best way to introduce gay guys to Moaning Myrtle..” he said. “She is from the 1950’s. Now come on, we have to meet up with everyone to discuss our Christmas plans.”

* * *

“So Iris has no memories?” Andi asked. They were all sitting together outside on the grass, having a bit of an impromptu picnic. “What kind of death erases memories of ghosts?”

“The same kind that that leaves the mark of death as a sleeping girl,” Buffy said. “But...Ghost Iris thinks that Cyrus is her straight boyfriend, huh?”

“Guys, come on,” he groaned. “Coming out to her the first time was hard enough!”

“Well, you don’t have to tell her that you’re gay...right?”

“Honestly, I kinda wanna tell her,” T.J. said. “Because maybe then she can put a leash on Moaning Myrtle. The ghost almost put her hand down my pants…”

“There are rumors that she’s...vengeful in that sort of way,” Jonah said. “That’s why I’m terrified of using any bathroom here.”

“You know, fair,” Marty said. “One less worry for me...or should it be another worry for me?” He frowned. “These are the important questions nobody answers…”

“I think before those questions have to be answered, you’d have to be out to everyone, formally,” Buffy said. “Only if you want to, of course…”

“Right...I mean...maybe?” He said. “I feel better since I saw how everyone at the extracurricular meets treated me, but...Kira and Reed still exist so…”

“Unfortunately, that’s very true,” Cyrus said. “Well...Christmas holidays are coming up so that’s one less thing to worry about.”

“That’s true…” Marty said. “Who has plans?”

“Well...my mom and I are going to go spend Christmas in Ireland,” Buffy said. “It’s supposed to be beautiful.”

“My parents and I are going to Cece’s house?” When T.J. looked at her confused, Andi clarified. “My grandmother.”

“Well...the Kippens are probably gonna be alone again,” Amber sighed. “Mom is working overtime at St. Mungo’s to the point she can’t even teach piano at home to children.”

“Really?” Cyrus said. “Well...we don’t celebrate Christmas, per say. We have a very Jewish Christmas tradition.”

“What’s the very Jewish Christmas tradition?” Marty asked. 

“We eat Chinese food and go to the movies,” he said. “Unless Hanukkah falls on the same day, then we go all out.”

“That sounds fun,” T.J. said. “Our mom most of the only gets Christmas Eve in the evening and early Christmas morning. The rest of the time though, we’re alone and we entertain ourselves.”

“One on one Quidditch is fun,” Marty said. “Amber is the tie-breaker. And she plays winner in Wizard Chess.”

“Well,” Cyrus said. “Why don’t you spend it with us then?” Cyrus said. “We could have a lot of fun, celebrating Hanukkah together, introducing you Goys to our traditions,” he said playfully. “Then your mom can join us and we could all celebrate a real Christmas? They always looked fun in movies and stuff.”

“It is fun,” Marty said. “And...if you two are down, I’ll send mom an owl now asking her?”

“That would be fun, to spend time with friends,” Amber said. 

“And...I don’t think I could spend the holidays doing anything better,” T.J. said smiling, putting an arm around Cyrus. “Quick question I should ask first…”

“Yes I’m out,” Cyrus said. “To all four of them.”

* * *

“Come on,” T.J. begged. “We’re far away enough from other muggles! This is the first time we can even play two on two!”

“No!” Cyrus said. “My feet will stay on the ground. No quidditch.”

“What if we made it like muggle quidditch then?” Marty said. “Only running.”

“You’re describing football,” Cyrus said. “Which I definitely cannot play.” Cyrus tried avoiding the eyes as much as he could but then he accidentally caught the puppy dog eyes. “Fine...I won’t play, but I will take you to this boys group that likes to play pickup games at the local park,” he said. “Just...look up the rules before you go. Every boy around the world knows the rules to the game.”

“Why don’t you explain them?” T.J. asked. 

“Because I’m the exception of muggle boys,” he said. “Or just tell them you played American football and need some refreshers.”

“We might be better off telling them we’re basketball players,” Marty said. “We actually know how to play that.”

“I’m just surprised you don’t know anything about the muggle game,” Cyrus said. “I mean, Marty, didn’t you grow up for a few years in Brazil?”

“Yeah...but considering I...let’s say presented...myself differently during my formative years there, I wasn’t really much of a football player,” he said. “But...I guess I remember a few things from the boys in my primary school talking about it...give me a minute to translate my memories.”

“It’s good, the boys don’t typically play until late afternoon anyways,” Cyrus said. “And you have to be back before seven o’clock so you have time to start the Hanukkah festivities. It’s the first night tonight.”

“Well, you’re coming with us, right? Even just to watch?” T.J. begged. 

“Stop it with the puppy dog eyes you snake,” Cyrus laughed. “I’ll go, I’ll go!”

“Hey, I’m only half a snake according to the hat,” T.J. joked. “And you’re the other half.”

“Okay, you two are absolutely gross and need to shut up,” Marty said. 

* * *

Before they went out to the game, Cyrus and T.J. decided to watch movies in the living room. Thankfully all four Goodmans were very accepting towards their relationship but did keep rules, such as Amber having to share the room with Cyrus while T.J. and Marty slept in the guest room, but none of them minded all that much. Now Cyrus was introducing T.J. to the wonderful world of Disney. 

“So, this Cinderella...these are the stories you grew up with?” T.J. asked. 

“Yeah...what did you grow up with?” Cyrus asked. 

“I dunno...Babbitty Rabbitty and the Cackling Stump...the tale of the three brothers...though they’re much darker than this,” he said. He pulled Cyrus even closer, letting him rest his head on his chest and their fingers interlacing. 

“Oh, this is what muggles call “Disney-fied.” A happy filter put over it,” Cyrus said. “The original Cinderella involved her sleeping in an attic by a fireplace so that she was covered in ashes and cinder, which is why she’s named Cinderella, and the glass slipper is so important to the stepsisters, they take a carving knife to their foot so that they could fit in it.”

“Oh...yeah that sounds closer to the kind of childhood stories I grew up with,” T.J. laughed. 

“There’s also some like Hansel and Gretel which even Disney couldn’t make friendly.”

“What’s that?”

“Two children find a candy house with a witch who tries to fatten them up and eat them, and they trick her into an oven.” 

“That’s...awful…”

“You have to remember that for a long time, Muggles thought...some still think...witches are products of a covenant with Satan.” 

“Yeah...Doesn’t make it less scary…”

“Don’t worry, the witch burnings are over and done with. Now only books about witches are burned,” he joked lightly. “No actual people. And most places wouldn’t even do anything if they found out you had magic.”

“They wouldn’t?”

“Nah, I bet money there’s a handful of muggles who aren’t related to magic users that know about the magical world,” he said. “Probably a lot of them beg their magic friends to do things like apparate to Disney World without paying.”

“Have you thought about doing that?” T.J. teased, and then laughed a little when Cyrus started blushing. “You have!”

“I even figured out the best places and rides to sneak in on to be able to get in at each of the four parks,” he said. “Getting out would be easy though. Just walk out of the park.”

“I’m impressed Cyrus Goodman,” he said, holding him close. “My edge is rubbing off on you.” 

“Shut up Kippen…” he was as red as a tomato.

“Make me,” T.J. teased, and Cyrus surprised them both by pulling him down and kissing him. It was quick, chaste, but also sweet. And most importantly, it did the trick. T.J. was barely able to talk for the rest of the day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please comment, If you read this (yes if you liked it or not, or if you’re a guest or not) please comment and add your house in the comments! Any comments that don’t have the house, points go to MY house *GRYFFINDOR*
> 
> So the current points are:  
Slytherin : 30  
Ravenclaw: 50  
Hufflepuff: 50  
Gryffindor: 60

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Guys, this is quite long awaited, I suppose! The houses and characters come from a result of the poll I had a lot of people take, and this is gonna be just like my other stories in terms of angst and happy endings. If you’re coming from “What the Hell Happened in Shadyside,” I can promise it will be less than that.  
If you want to request a one-shot or ask questions, my tumblr name is “thegayagenda-forkids” and if you read this, please comment with anything ranging from an emoji to a ten page essay on what this chapter made you feel. I don’t get notified for Kudos (trying to fix that) so the only way I can tell who’s reading is through comments. Please please please comment! Commenting is also how you can request fics or even for something to happen in the story. There is an 80% chance I’ll accept suggestions!  
And while you’re here, please read and comment on my other works! It’s there for a reason! And feel free to share this around! You’ll find me stalking the Tyrus tag on Tumblr so if you want to get my attention, post on there!


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